Chapter 117

Others might not understand, but Fang Yue felt Lord Han surely knew!

Then he thought again about how Lord Han treated him specially.

For some reason, Fang Yue always had a feeling in his heart—a faint sense that coming to ask Lord Han these questions now was a dangerous idea.

But after careful thought, Fang Yue's eyes hardened; he made up his mind, pushed open the gate of Han Fu, and walked inside.

Han Fu was much livelier than before.

Many patients had been housed in Han Fu for treatment by An Shenyi.

An Shenyi was so delighted his mouth twisted into a grin—he hadn't lowered his fees for anyone.

Saving wave after wave of Gu Yue Cun villagers had cost them dearly.

Besides the injured and An Shenyi, Hong Dafu and other doctors, after finishing their light duties, all rushed over like lapdogs, trailing behind An Shenyi.

"Yeye! Why are you here?"

Seeing Fang Yue, An Shenyi greeted him warmly.

He'd made a lot of money off Fang Yue and was in an excellent mood.

Behind An Shenyi, Hong Dafu and the others also greeted Fang Yue.

Fang Yue didn't mince words: "I want to see Lord Han."

"Lord Han is in seclusion. He sees no one."

"Not even me?"

Fang Yue asked, puzzled.

"Probably not. Before entering seclusion, Lord Han said no one at all—so you're included."

"... I'd like to try. Can you tell me where Lord Han is secluded?"

"No problem."

This time, An Shenyi was generous—he gave Fang Yue the location without charging a penny.

But when Fang Yue asked carefully, he realized Lord Han's seclusion spot was common knowledge among the Gu Yue Cun Captains.

Fang Yue was Deputy Captain, but in truth, he was also one of the village's Captains—even if he didn't want to know, Lin Ling would tell him.

Only because of the traitor incident this morning and Hua Wuye's Heavy Injury had no one told Fang Yue these basics.

An Shenyi knew because he was on good terms with Lord Han.

Knowing Lord Han's seclusion spot, Fang Yue had planned to go straight there—then he remembered something and asked: "By the way, how's Niu Niu doing? When I came last night, he didn't respond at all."

"The treatment went perfectly!"

Hearing about Niu Niu, An Shenyi perked up.

"I discovered that after the Poisoned Heart Pill's effects washed through Niu Niu's body, residual medicinal power remained. That special state—between ordinary person and Medicinal Human—is perfect for a strengthening pill I'm developing."

"I tested it on him—and succeeded brilliantly. I plan to refine it further when I return; barring mishaps, it'll be on the market in three to five years! This is a major discovery!"

Experimented? Brilliant success?

"Um... is Niu Niu okay?"

"Okay? Of course he's okay—how could he not be? He's thrilled! His dual attributes jumped by at least five points! That's over a decade of normal cultivation!"

Fang Yue:...

For a Native, that truly meant over a decade of hard training—but for a player, it wasn't nearly that long.

Still, such a sudden attribute boost made Fang Yue envious—it was like solo-killing a Great Weirdness.

Weirdnesses were rare and unpredictable; now, just taking pills could raise stats—perfect!

He checked his friend list, ignored the flood of messages from others, and found Niu Niu.

Seeing Niu Niu hadn't replied, Fang Yue knew he was offline and left him be for now.

Heading straight for Lord Han's seclusion spot, Fang Yue was baffled.

According to An Shenyi, Lord Han was secluded in a courtyard within Han Fu—but when Fang Yue arrived at the marked location, he found only a small rock garden with some flowers and grass.

Could it be... underground?

Fang Yue searched the ground thoroughly but found no entrance or hidden door.

Helpless, he said: "Lord Han, I'm Xiao Ye. I need to see you."

The moment Fang Yue finished speaking, thick mist suddenly rose before him.

When the mist cleared, Fang Yue realized he wasn't in Han Fu at all—he was inside a chilling ice cave.

The ice cave was small, holding a round ice table, two ice chairs, and a large ice bed.

Lord Han sat motionless upon the ice bed.

"L-Lord Han."

"... What is it?"

Lord Han slowly opened his eyes.

At this moment, Lord Han was different from how Fang Yue usually saw him.

Those cold eyes looked like an emotionless immortal, looking down upon all things in the world!

Fang Yue lowered his head slightly and said: "Lord Han, Lin Ling and I have found the traitor—it's Mu Zi of the Guard Team. We executed her on the spot."

Lord Han's face remained expressionless; he gave a slight nod: "Well done."

His voice was ethereal, echoing through the cave, giving a sense of distance.

"When I emerge from seclusion, there will be rewards. What else?"

Fang Yue fell silent, stole a glance at Lord Han, and carefully chose his words.

"Lord Han, the traitor said... I'm being watched by the Weirdnesses outside."

"..."

Lord Han didn't speak right away. Instead, he stared at Fang Yue for a while before slowly opening his mouth.

"You really have been targeted, but in the short term, nothing should happen to you."

At this point, Fang Yue felt there was no point holding things back, and said directly: "Lord Han, I want to know why I've been targeted by the Eerie, and what their purpose is. On the night Di He shattered, what did 【Edgeless Eerie】 mean by 'not yet ripe'? Why did she want to abduct me?"

Hearing this, Lord Han closed his eyes: "I can tell you're very confused."

Fang Yue's heart gave a jolt, and he bowed with cupped hands: "Please enlighten me, Lord Han!"

"Your strength is meager. Learning of this sooner would do you no good. But seeing you so unsettled, there's no harm in telling you now."

After a pause, Lord Han asked: "Have you ever heard of 【Spirit Root】?"

Spirit Root?

Fang Yue was taken aback.

A root imbued with spirit? The foundation of spirit?

Or… the most commonly spoken of, the Spirit Root for cultivating immortality?

After some hesitation, Fang Yue said uncertainly: "Is it… the Spirit Root that represents one's Comprehension for cultivating immortality?"

Lord Han opened his eyes with a hint of surprise, glanced at Fang Yue, and nodded: "Not bad."

"Few people nowadays still know of the Spirit Root. I didn't expect you Natives to know of it."

After all, we're not Natives—our knowledge is broader…

Of course, Fang Yue definitely wouldn't say that out loud. He just smiled shyly.

"The so-called Spirit Root is the very foundation of cultivating immortality. Without a Spirit Root, one cannot cultivate immortality, and will never in their life have a chance to step into the realm of the Immortal!"

The realm of the Immortal? Cultivating immortality?

Fang Yue's face showed confusion: "Lord Han, what level is this realm of the Immortal? How does its strength compare to yours?"

"Me? An Immortal?"

Lord Han couldn't help but laugh, and for the first time, Fang Yue felt that within the ice cave, Lord Han had taken on his usual manner.

But immediately after, Lord Han's smile faded.

"You should already know what level the Rain Realm is."

"With the sickly cold invading my body, I only have half a step's worth of Rain Realm strength—not even up to the Rain Realm."

"And beyond the Rain Realm, is the Immortal Realm!"

"The Immortal Realm is the symbol of stepping into immortality—transcending the mundane, transforming the mortal into the immortal. That is the Immortal Realm!"

"From the Rain Realm to the Immortal Realm, this single step is like a heavenly chasm! It separates life and death, splits apart the two poles, severs yin and yang! In the world today, as far as I know, the vast majority of the strong are locked within the Rain Realm, with no hope of reaching the Immortal Realm in their entire lives!"

"And the reason for this is that they are missing one ingredient—one ingredient called the Spirit Root!"

Half-step Rain Realm, Rain Realm, Immortal Realm, Spirit Root…

In just a few short sentences, Fang Yue's heart surged with emotion, his thoughts rising and falling violently.

Suddenly, Fang Yue thought of something.

Feels like it's going to be an all-nighter…

(End of this chapter)